Self-threading device for motion-picture apparatus.



M. SEG'EL.

SELF THREADING DEVICE FOR MOTION PICTURE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-14.1914.

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an eras aan@ @GEO MCHAEL SEGEL, 01E' NEW YORK, N. Y., LtSSIGx-Bl'olt T0ELIZABETH MEHLFELDER UEBIIELll/IESSER, OF BYSIDE, NEW YORK.

SELF-THREADING- DEVICE FOR MOTION-PICTURE APPRATUS.

Patented May 8, 11917.

Application led January 14, 1914. Serial ,170. 312,055.

To all whom it 'may concern.-

Be it known-that l, MICHAEL SEGEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York city, county and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful llmprovements in Self-Threading lDevices forMotion -Picture Apparatus, of which the `followingis a clear, full, andexact description.

This invention relates to that general class of self threading machinereferred to in my application Serial No. 7 7 4,304, filed June 18th,1913, and has for its object to provide means between the feedingsprocket and the reel to be exhibited to cause the ilm upon the`v mererotationof its reel tobe delivered to the sprocket wheel or otheradvancing device 'to thread it by means-of the threading mechanismthrough the exhibiting portion of the machine, and also to cause theautomatic delivery of the Hlm after exhibition on to the receiving reel,where it will be grasped and wound. up without any other action on thepart of the operator, excepting placing an empty reel inplace andplacing the reel to be exhibited in place in the ma-A chine, andoperating the driving mechanism.

` into Contact with In order to accomplish these eaturesll supplypreferably a spring control pivoted. guide boot or chute, which extendsfrom the first sprocket roller, the upper ends of the wmouth and ittingnicely between the two flanges of the reel, so that the free end of theil'm as the reel is rotated will enter the chute, pass Vdown the chuteand be guided withiits perorations lthe teeth' ofthe sprocket 3 roller,and by them forwarded through the machine, making the proper loops asreferred to in my aforesaidv application for patent, and afterexhibition be delivered by`V preferably a sprocket roller to a seconddownwardly depending chute or boot, which has its end in proximity tothe shaft of the receiving reel, being mounted between the anges ofl hereel and havingvcut-out portions at the lower end of the boot,permitting the free rotation of the ilmv clamps which will be referredto hereinafter, which orifice plate, advancing sprocket and a portion ofthe loop receptacles, the section being taken on a line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. V3 is a detail view of the lower or take-up roll and film guideadjacent thereto.

. As herein illustrated a motion picture machine casing is indicated bythe numeral 1 and is provided with the usual aperture 2 and orificeplate3 adjacent thereto.

ln the upper` part of the device l mount the 4filled reel 4 in the usualmanner, and in the lower part the take-up reel 5; to take the lm fromthe upper reel, pass it down- Wardly across or between the openings 2and 6 on to the take-up reel automatically is the Aobject of the device,the said operation being accomplished as follows v To thread the device,the upper reel 4 is unwo-und until the film engages the sprocket 7,V thefilm passing through the guide chute 8, which is pivotally mounted onvthe shaft 9 of the sprocket 7. p p A continued rotation of the reel 4forces the lm through the curved channel 10 between-the apertures 2 and6 thence through the channel 11 into the ilm passes into the guide chute13, thence to the take-up reel 14. During its course the lm` will engagethe intermittent.

rlhe mechanism indicated by 17 is a diathe loox 12 from whichvgrarnmatic illustration of the operatingA mechanism for the device.Like the chute 8, the chute 13 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 18 andis adapted to swing upwardly as the roll o film on the take-up reelincreases in size (see dotted lines 19, Fig. 1). To automatically engagethe take-up reel E provide clips or devices to grasp Athe end of thereel, such devices being herein indicated by 20 and consist of resilientfingers mounted on the shaft 18. When the free end of the film reachesthe shaft 18 it will Slide into the gap 2l and become pinched by theresilient fingers; at this time all of the running parts will be runningat the same speed, hence the film will be carried around by the rotatingshaft 18. The guide 8 will move inwardly, as the roll of film on theupper reel decreases in diameter, by virtue of lthe pull of the spring21 (see dotted lines 8).

The chute 13 rests by gravity upon the rollv of film on the take-upreel.

Adjacent the sprockets 15 and 16 I locate guides 22 and 23 to guide thefilm into and out of the boX 12. By virtue of the arrangement of thechutes 8 and 13, they will always remain in proper relationship withrespect to the reels 4; and 14E.

- Although mere manual` rotation of the full reel is sufficient to causethe end of the film to enter the upper end offthe guiding chute, Iprefer to mount' a'slight friction drive on the shaft of the upper reeland connect it by chain or other means with the mechanism of the machineto cause it to start at slow speed in order that the end of the filmmaybe made to enter the chute. After the film is taken up by the chutethe major part of the drive on the upper reel is accomplished by thetooth sprocket wheel,

which rotates the reel much faster by its mere pull than initialstarting driving mechanism.

I claim as my invention:

l. .In combination with a film mechanism of a motion picture apparatus,a roll of film, a support therefor, a guide for the film mounted inclose proximity to advancing the outer surface of the roll of fillnwhere by on the rotation of the film roll the free end of the film iscaused to enter said guide and directed'by said guide to the feedingmechanism in the motion picture apparatus.

2. The combination of a roll of film and a feed sprocket, a supportingframe for the same, a film guiding device interposed between the roll offilm and the feed sprocket for the purpose of guiding and directing thefree end of the film into said guide and from the delivery reel on tothe feed sprocket in a motion picture apparatus automatically.

3. The combination of a driven film reel and a sprocket mounted in afilm manipulating apparatus, and a guide mounted between the roll offilm and a feed sprocket to catch the film for automatic delivery to thefeed sprocket.

4. The combination of a roll of film, a feed sprocket, a guide mountedbetween the roll of film and the feed sprocket for the purpose ofreceiving and delivering a film from the feed sprocket to a filmreceiving roll after the film has passed through the 6. In a motionpicture apparatus, a lower feed sprocket and a receiving reel, a guidefor the film interposed between said sprocket and said receiving reel todeliver the free end of a film into said reel, and an arrangement on thehub of said reel to grasp the .free end of a film for the purpose ofwinding it on a hub automatically and during rotation of said reel.

7. In a motion picture apparatus, a fric-l tionally driven deliveryreel, a feed sprocket,

a swingable guide chute between said delivery reel and said feedsprocket to receive a4 film for automatic delivery to said feed sprocketsubstantially as described.

8; In a motion picture apparatus, a lower feed sprocketNand a receivingreel, a swingable guide chute interposed between the hub of thereceiving reel and said feed sprocket, a device on`said reel hub tocooperate with the filml guide to automatically catch the film on saidreel hub substantially as set forth.

9. In a motion picture apparatus, a roll of film, a feed sprocket, aguide interposed between said roll of film and said feed sprocket and anautomatic film catch on the hub of the film roll to automaticallydeliver a film from one on'to the other by the mere rotation of saidfeed sprocket and said film roll.

10. In a motion picture apparatus, a lower feed sprocket1 a receivingreel, a lm clasping means on the hub of said reel, a guide chuteinterposed between said feed sprocket and said reel to automaticallydeliver a free end' of film from said feed sprocket to the claspingdevice on the hub of said film winding reel.

l1. A motion picture apparatus consisting of at least two feed Sprocketsand two film reels, guides interposed or located between said feedsprockets and said film rolls to automatically catch the free end of alm and deliver it from one to the other upon the mere rotation of saidfeed sprockets land film rolls.

12. In a film manipulating apparatus or the like, a film reel thereon, afeed sprocket adjacent thereto, a device mounted between said reel andsaid sprocket, consisting of Signed at New York city, New York, this'guides for the film between said delivery 10th day of January, 1914:.

member and said receiving member a pro- Y* jection 0r catch on thereceiving meinber to MMEHA'EL SEGEL' engage the approaching free end ofa film in presence ofupon and during operation of the apparatus F.WARREN WRIGHT, substantially as Idescribed. MABEL DITTENHOEFER.

